TV shows often segregate the leads and the supports. In most cases, the
former exist to drive a series, while the latter serve as, well, wallpaper.

But "Psych" is different.

For starters, its "B Team" is grade-A quality.

Timothy Omundson (Det. Carlton Lassiter) and Maggie Lawson (Det. Juliet
O'Hara) are no less important - or relevant to the show - than their more famous co-stars.

Omundson's dry humor and keen observations are just plain funny. And yet,
his character holds Shawn (James Roday) and Gus (Dulé Hill) in check. His
"straight guy" routine keeps them honest, allowing "Psych's" writers to "go
there" with their jokes (without jumping any sharks).

Lawson's heart is palpable. Her character's desire to support - or just
understand - Shawn has produced some of the show's most moving moments. She
grounds the show, and gives it a more balanced set of emotions.

Fortunately, "Psych's" writers get this, and have weaved the actors into
more and more storylines. In fact, two of the show's first three episodes this
season have the words "Juliet" and "Lassie" in the title,
and the characters front and center.

BFFs Omundson and Lawson chatted about their relationship - on screen and
off - and gave a few clues to "Psych's" highly anticipated musical and
"Clue"-inspired episodes.

Maggie Lawson: I had such a blast with that, because I thought it was such a unique way
to build up the excitement. It's been such a long time since we've been on
because - I don't even remember when season six ended! It was a nice way to get
pumped for the new season, and then to also go back and see some of the old
episodes.

We have the greatest fans. For those few hours it was really, really nice
to interact and play with them live. It was cool.

Timothy Omundson: It was a much, much bigger deal than I thought it was
going to be. It was really fantastic to see the thing. My daughter had some
friends over and they were all in pajamas and they were all very excited. It
was the first time that my oldest is of age to kind of really watch the show
and get into it. It was really fun for them. There was a bunch of episodes they
hadn't seen. It was great.

BTS: Your show takes a long break in between seasons. How does that time help you
come back rested and recharged ... or to work other jobs?

Omundson: We've been off, for like, what, two years we've been off the air?

Lawson: It feels like it.

Omundson: For me, it's huge, having a wife and two kids and a dog down in Los
Angeles, and of course we don't shoot here. It's invaluable. I can't imagine -
we take the six months to do the show. I can't imagine being gone for a day
longer. It's pretty tough on everybody. ... Not me, because I get to go play TV
star. But it's much harder for them. I get home and then just try and be 'Super
Dad' as much as I can. And if I get a job, it's great.

And I grow a huge beard.

Lawson: He does. ... I think it's great. Even though we've been off the air for a
long while, our schedule, as far as shooting, stays the same. In our time off,
it's always really nice to recharge and do a little work. But ... I go into
withdrawals about this time every year. It's like, "OK, when do we get to go
back and play again?" We have such a good time.

And you know, you're in another country ("Psych" shoots in Vancouver).
We're all we have there. We work together, but we also play together. We're our
best friends and our family while we're up there. In a way, it's like a weird
adjustment.

Omundson: As much as I like my family, about month five of the break I'm like, "OK,
I'm done making lunches. ..."

Lawson: I'm like, wait, "Where's Tim?" Tim and I will text and be like, "What is happening? I feel like I haven't
seen you." We rarely go more than maybe a week or two without actually seeing
each other. It feels so weird. I see you everyday; I know what's happening. ...
It's a little crazy.

Omundson: It's such an intense relationship for all of us up there, and experience.
Even the crew. I may not see Maggie everyday, although most times I do, but I
definitely see the crew every day. And I've known these people - I've worked
with them every day, six months out of the year for eight years. And then
suddenly you're transported back to Mars. It's like, "Oh. ..."

It's a strange adjustment.

Lawson: We're blessed. Granted, the move up and the move back is always hard, but
at the same time there is great peace in knowing that the six months that we're
there - we're just there to work. All of the home stresses and stuff sort of
have to stay home until we get this six months (done). As you said, it's very,
very intense. We are just working for six months. In a way, that's kind of a
relief, because that's all we can do. But at the same time, there is an
intensity to it. We come back and we're like, "Wait, where do I live? Where it
my life?"

Omundson: There's a certain joy to being on set and getting a call, you know, "The
water heater's exploded." You're like, "OK. ... I'm in the middle of the scene."

BTS: There's been one big change on this show. Everyone started out struggling
with love. Now it seems each character has found a partner and is happy. What
do you think of this new direction?

Lawson: I think it's wonderful. I think it just shows, you know, I feel like how far
we've all come, our characters and also the show, and sort of how we've grown.
I love that, while we are a procedural and there is a case every week, that we
have really gotten into their lives - like our personal lives - and I think, as
actors and for our characters, it's been a nice way to grow.

I don't think we did it too soon. I think we really got to know everybody
before we all started pairing off, and I think it's such a nice shift in the
show. It sort of changes the dynamic a lot. For us, it's really, really fun to
work with.

Tim, you and your relationship, that was one of my most favorite and
unexpected turns on the show. That's the other thing that I think is so cool
about it. "Wait, Lassiter is the softie?"
It's like, "Wait, what?" I think you as an actor ... the last couple of years,
because Lassie was so tough, and so hard, and then you see him, I mean very subtly,
over every single season - whatever's been going on - soften a bit. And that's
the writers, and that's Tim. And now we have this sort of, like, mushy, lovable
- you're like a tough shell with like a mushy inside.

Omundson: Which he always was, it's just more of the mush comes out. It's really, I
think, a testament to our writers, to get these relationships balanced in a
certain way where they still work for the show - nothing's overbearing, no
character goes totally out of left field - although Lassiter, in certain ways
does. But it still works. That's a really delicate balance, because a lot of
times you throw in a relationship on an established show like this, and it just
throws everything out of whack. And this, I think, has been a really amazing
job with everybody making it work for our show - to the point where anybody
who's been watching the show for years doesn't need to go, "Wait, what the hell
just happened? There with so and so?" No. These relationships really complement
who these characters are, and that's because of our crack team of writers.

BTS: Your characters have become an integral part of each episode - each
storyline. Tell us about working with the writers and how that's developed.

Omundson: It just sort of happened. It's a testament, honestly ... to the work that
Maggie and I have done. We are very close in real life. And so, I think, that
relationship comes through in Lassiter and O'Hara, and I think the writers see
that, and it's natural and it's developed. We've also become really close with
James and Dulé, and I think it's natural that these characters would crawl
forward a little bit more than you normally get in a show like this.

Lawson: I feel like I struck gold with this partner that I have on the show. I feel
like, from the very first day ... it was instant. There was something. We got
along; we got each other. As you said, (the writers) know how close we are.
They know how to write for us, because we are so close in real life. And we
absolutely have each other's back on the show, I think first and foremost.

I feel like there was a natural thing that just sort of happened with us.
It was like, "Oh, wow, I get you."

Omundson: These writers, they've all been around for a long time on our show. We know
them really well. I know these guys, and occasional gals, better than any group
of writers I've ever gotten to work with, and so that also translates onto the
screen.

They are 1,700 miles away, but they come up and we socialize. And we see
each other on hiatus. And we've developed friendships with a lot of these
people. It just makes the writing that much richer.

And Maggie and I are fantastic. ... Let's not forget that.

BTS: And what about the fans? The fans have been adamant that your characters
become more involved in each episode. How does that make you feel?

Omundson: There's nothing better.

Lawson: It's the greatest feeling.

Omundson: That's why we do this. To have that kind of response, to say, "We want to
see more of this," is why we do it. And, frankly, you don't always get that.

BTS: OK, tell us about the musical episode.

Lawson: Oh, wow. Tim is such a good singer.

Omundson: Maggie is like a Disney heroine. Everybody on our cast blew it away. This
episode is unlike anything you will ever see on our show - and, dare I say,
from any other show. I was so taken with it, and so taken aback just by the
sheer talent everyone pulled out. It's going to delight.

Lawson: It's so different. (Creator Steve Franks) did such an incredible job.

Lawson: It's very, very
special. We had a really good time doing it. It was completely different from
anything we've done on the show. For us it was like, yeah, we all sing and we
have fun, and we do our "Psych-outs," but this was no joke. There were dance
numbers, where Tim and ...

Omundson: I have some very unusual dance partners. There's a tango involved.

For me, I'm really proud of this episode. It's going to go down as one of,
I think, my proudest moments of my career. Just the fun and the execution -
what actually appears.

I have a thing where I am always disappointed in everything I see myself
in. Always. The musical? I'm like, "Well, that disappointment factor is a
little low on this one."

Being in Hollywood, and recording in Frank Sinatra's old recording studio,
laying down these tracks - that was quite a moment in my career."

Lawson: "This is happening. I'm in this. This is not a dream right now. This is
happening." That was wild.

That was our 100th episode that we were shooting. ... There are no
words to describe what that experience was like. It was so insane. It was so
great.

BTS: This is the season we get the long-awaited "Clue"-inspired episode. What
can you tell us about that one?

Omundson: It's an amazing script. Everybody pulled it out for that one.

"Psych" is, I think, an anomaly in television in that, every season, I
think the writing gets better. Every single season. I'll go to, like, season
five and go, "I can't believe we did that," and season six, I'm like, "I
can't believe we did that." And seven, seven I think is the best thing
we've done.

These writers and directors and these actors keep raising the bar every
year. And it doesn't normally happen - certainly on (a show) that's been on for
as long as we have. I'm tickled.

Lawson: Tickled.

BTS: Obviously, the two of you are close in real life. What challenges you
about your work together on screen?

Omundson: It's not even a challenge. You do this many episodes with someone - let
alone someone you like - it's easy. Not that it's easy. I work very, very hard
for my paycheck. ... No I don't. ... It just becomes easier. It's second
nature and you get a second-hand. It's like when James directs us, we have a
shorthand. It's just so intuitive now, the work, especially with Maggie and I,
because most of our scenes - I'd say, what 75 percent of the scenes on the show
we've done together - it's just easy.

The challenge for me is just not laughing.

Lawson: Yes, that is a challenge for Tim.

Omundson: That is my greatest challenge on this show is not laughing, because I so
enjoy watching what these other actors are doing.

Lawson: That's exactly how I feel. It's so funny because it's like, you know when
you get so close with people, and when one person cracks and starts laughing? I
can't keep it together when I see Tim start laughing. It's like your family.
When you're sitting at the dinner table and everyone is trying to be serious and
be straight. And one person goes, and then everyone goes. Every day is like
that. As you said, it's easy. It's almost like a rhythm.

But I feel like even in the early days it was this easy. I don't feel like
there was ever a time that was like, "Hell, we've just got to get our groove."
It was like, wow, we found it on day one and it's still going.

We just naturally - we complete each other's sentences at this point. ... And
Tim, it's fun because Tim always has like a really great pitch or a great
suggestion for the scene. And he knows me; he knows (that) I'm going to be game
for almost anything silly, crazy - whatever we want to do. And we play - and
they let us play. They've given us freedom and space to play - they being the
producers and writers; our network. I mean everybody. All the way. All the way
up, they have given us freedom to find all of that.